This invention is directed to a device which monitors and records the traffic patterns of deer and other large game animals, as well as the pattern of movement of other objects, including vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Big game hunters and particularly bow hunters go to great lengths to attempt to locate feeding trails and other paths along which deer and other large animals (including bear and elk) travel with consistency. Normal practice among bow hunters is to spend considerable time scouting an area to determine likely locations for deer traffic. Tree stands are then established at those areas considered to be likely locations of deer activity. Deer normally engage in feeding activity in the morning hours and again in the late afternoon and evening hours. Consequently, hunters typically station themselves in the tree stand in the morning and again in the late afternoon and evening and less frequently during midday times when deer activity is less likely.
Even the most skillful and experienced hunters are unable to predict with a high degree of accuracy whether and at what time animals will be present at a particular location, even if the area has been thoroughly scouted. One problem is that the scouting itself leaves human scents which can take up to several days to dissipate enough that they can no longer be perceived by animals. The current traffic patterns of deer in any event are difficult at best to accurately predict. For these reasons, it is not unusual for bow hunters to spend considerable time in tree stands which are set up at locations that desirable animals do not frequent, at least on a consistent basis. Conservation officers and forest service personnel also have need to monitor the movement patterns of various animals, including large game.
There are a number of other situations in which the ability to accurately monitor and record traffic patterns is highly desirable. For example, the patterns of vehicles along roadways can be a highly significant factor in determining the value of real estate and the desirability of establishing various types of businesses. It is usually as important to know when the traffic is most dense as it is to know the total number of cars which pass during a particular time period. By way of example, a proposed restaurant catering to dinner patrons would be more desirable at a location where the evening traffic is especially heavy. Traffic patterns during other times of the day may not be important. Similarly, the monitoring of pedestrian traffic along a particular sidewalk can provide information that is valuable to a wide range of businesses and governmental units.
Banks, fast service food outlets and other businesses which operate "drive through" windows can obtain useful information by monitoring when the drive-through traffic is heavy and when it is light or non existent. Added service personnel can be provided during times of heavy demand, and the personnel can be reduced when the demand for drive-through service is light. In this manner, the labor force can be used efficiently and labor costs can be carefully controlled without reducing the service to customers. The monitoring of vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic is either necessary or desirable in a number of other situations, as is the monitoring of the movement of other types of objects.